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The study aims to facilitate the medical tourists visiting emerging countries for various kinds of ailments by ranking the possible destinations to avail medical treatments.

A Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP) with a mixed-method approach is applied to analyze data collected from patients and substantiate it with medical tour operators in India to gain managerial insights on the choice-making patterns of the patients.

India is a preferred emerging market location due to the low cost and high medical staff quality. India offers value for money, whereas Singapore and Thailand are preferred destinations for quality and technology.

The study will facilitate the emerging markets' governments, hospitals and medical tourists to understand the importance of various determinants responsible for availing medical treatment outside their country.

The study recommends that cost and quality care are the patients' prime focus; government policies must provide clear guidelines on what the hospitals and country environment can offer and accordingly align the marketing strategies.

This study is the first attempt to rank various factors affecting medical tourism using the FAHP approach.

This study delves into the behavioural intentions of educators within medical colleges at Mosul Universities concerning the adoption of Knowledge Management-Driven Metaverse technology (KM-D-MT). Rooted in an adapted Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model, the research aims to enrich the understanding of Metaverse adoption factors, exploring correlations among key constructs such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived value, hedonic motivation and interaction. Furthermore, the study investigates the mediating roles of knowledge generation and knowledge sharing in the relationship between interaction and behavioural intention.

The research employs a quantitative approach, gathering 278 responses from educators in medical colleges. Structural Equation Modelling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) is used to analyse the data, rigorously examining the reliability and validity of research instruments. The investigation involves an extensive evaluation of various factors influencing educators’ intentions to adopt KM-D-MT, using a cross-sectional design.

The study reveals significant positive impacts of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived value and hedonic motivation on behavioural intention to adopt KM-D-MT. Interaction is identified as a key factor positively influencing knowledge sharing and knowledge generation. Furthermore, knowledge sharing and knowledge generation exhibit positive correlations with behavioural intention. Interaction indirectly impacts behavioural intention through the mediating roles of knowledge generation and knowledge sharing, highlighting the transformative potential of Metaverse technology in reshaping knowledge processes.

The findings of this study hold practical implications for educators, institutions and policymakers. The adoption of KM-D-MT can enhance educational experiences, facilitate global collaboration and contribute to the continuous professional development of educators in medical colleges. Institutions are encouraged to strengthen technological and organisational infrastructure to support effective Metaverse implementation. Furthermore, promoting positive social norms, providing technical support and offering training programs can contribute to overcoming barriers and fostering a conducive environment for Metaverse adoption in medical education.

This research significantly contributes to theoretical perspectives by advancing Metaverse research and addressing the call for extensive studies covering theoretical, conceptual and empirical elements. It extends current UTAUT2 frameworks, exploring correlations in the context of medical education and contributes to knowledge management paradigms. The study’s originality lies in its exploration of Metaverse acceptance in higher education institutions, specifically in medical colleges in Iraq, providing valuable insights for further research and practical applications globally.

Nanotechnology (NT) advancements in personal protective textiles (PPT) or personal protective equipment (PPE) have alleviated spread and transmission of this highly contagious viral disease, and enabled enhancement of PPE, thereby fortifying antiviral behavior.

Review of a series of state of the art research papers on the subject matter.

This paper expounds on novel nanotechnological advancements in polymeric textile composites, emerging applications and fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

As a panacea to “public droplet prevention,” textiles have proven to be potentially effective as environmental droplet barriers (EDBs).

PPT in form of healthcare materials including surgical face masks (SFMs), gloves, goggles, respirators, gowns, uniforms, scrub-suits and other apparels play critical role in hindering the spreading of COVID-19 and other “oral-respiratory droplet contamination” both within and outside hospitals.

When used as double-layers, textiles display effectiveness as SFMs or surgical-fabrics, which reduces droplet transmission to <10 cm, within circumference of ∼0.3%.

NT advancements in textiles through nanoparticles, and sensor integration within textile materials have enhanced versatile sensory capabilities, robotics, flame retardancy, self-cleaning, electrical conductivity, flexibility and comfort, thereby availing it for health, medical, sporting, advanced engineering, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, military, automobile, food and agricultural applications, and more. Therefore, this paper expounds on recently emerging trends in nanotechnological influence in textiles for engineering and fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

The main aim of this study is to review different aspects of Industry 5.0 (I5.0) along with Kaizen measures to foster this novel aspect of industrial sustainability. The study makes a comprehensive study to explore the implementation status of I5.0 in industries, key technologies, adoption level in different nations and barriers to I5.0 adoption together with mitigation actions.

To do a systematic study of the literature, the authors have used preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) methodology to extract articles related to the field of the study.

It has been found that academic literature on the I5.0 is continuously growing as the wheel of time is running. Most of the studies on I5.0 are conceptual-based, and manufacturing and medical industries are the flag bearer in the adoption of this novel aspect. Further, due to I5.0's infancy, many organizations face difficulty to adopt the same due to financial burden, resistive nature, a well-designed standard for cyber-physical systems (CPS) and an effective mechanism for human–robot collaboration. Further studies also provide avenues for future research in terms of the identification of collaborative mechanisms between machines and wells, the establishment of different standards for comparison and the development of I5.0-enabled models for different industrial domains.

The study is the first of its kind that reviews different facets of I5.0in conjunction with Kaizen's measures and application areas and provides avenues for future research to improve an organization's environmental and social sustainability.

Three-way decision (3WD) and probabilistic rough sets (PRSs) are theoretical tools capable of simulating humans' multi-level and multi-perspective thinking modes in the field of decision-making. They are proposed to assist decision-makers in better managing incomplete or imprecise information under conditions of uncertainty or fuzziness. However, it is easy to cause decision losses and the personal thresholds of decision-makers cannot be taken into account. To solve this problem, this paper combines picture fuzzy (PF) multi-granularity (MG) with 3WD and establishes the notion of PF MG 3WD.

An effective incomplete model based on PF MG 3WD is designed in this paper. First, the form of PF MG incomplete information systems (IISs) is established to reasonably record the uncertain information. On this basis, the PF conditional probability is established by using PF similarity relations, and the concept of adjustable PF MG PRSs is proposed by using the PF conditional probability to fuse data. Then, a comprehensive PF multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) scheme is formed by the adjustable PF MG PRSs and the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method. Finally, an actual breast cancer data set is used to reveal the validity of the constructed method.

The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of PF MG 3WD in predicting breast cancer. Compared with existing models, PF MG 3WD has better robustness and generalization performance. This is mainly due to the incomplete PF MG 3WD proposed in this paper, which effectively reduces the influence of unreasonable outliers and threshold settings.

The model employs the VIKOR method for optimal granularity selections, which takes into account both group utility maximization and individual regret minimization, while incorporating decision-makers' subjective preferences as well. This ensures that the experiment maintains higher exclusion stability and reliability, enhancing the robustness of the decision results.

Drawing on a dynamic capability view, this study develops a decision support model that determines the most suitable configuration of strategies and challenges to adopt additive manufacturing (AM) to expedite digital transformation and performance improvement of the surgical and medical device (SMD) supply chain.

To investigate the research objective, a multi-method and multi-study research design was deployed using quality function deployment and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis.

The study finds that only resilience strategies or negation (i.e. minimisation) of challenges are not enough; instead, a configuration of resilience strategies and negation of challenges is highly significant in enhancing performance.

SMD supply chain decision-makers will find the decision support model presented in this study as beneficial to be resilient against various challenges in the digital transformation of service delivery process.

This study builds new knowledge of the adoption of AM technology in the SMD supply chain. The decision support model developed in this study is unique and highly effective for fostering digital transformation and enhancing SMD supply chain performance.

The purpose of this paper is to design and manufacture an intelligent 3D printed sensor to monitor the re-occurrence of diaphragmatic hernia (DH; after surgery) in bovines as an Internet of Things (IOT)-based solution.

The approach used in this study is based on a bibliographic analysis for the re-occurrence of DH in the bovine after surgery. Using SolidWorks and ANSYS, the computer-aided design model of the implant was 3D printed based on literature and discussions on surgical techniques with a veterinarian. To ensure the error-proof design, load test and strain–stress rate analyses with boundary distortion have been carried out for the implant sub-assembly.

An innovative IOT-based additive manufacturing solution has been presented for the construction of a mesh-type sensor (for the health monitoring of bovine after surgery).

An innovative mesh-type sensor has been fabricated by integration of metal and polymer 3D printing (comprising 17–4 precipitate hardened stainless steel and polyvinylidene fluoride-hydroxyapatite-chitosan) without sacrificing strength and specific absorption ratio value.

This study aims to offer a comprehensive exploration of the potential and challenges associated with sensor fusion-based virtual reality (VR) applications in the context of enhanced physical training. The main objective is to identify key advancements in sensor fusion technology, evaluate its application in VR systems and understand its impact on physical training.

The research initiates by providing context to the physical training environment in today’s technology-driven world, followed by an in-depth overview of VR. This overview includes a concise discussion on the advancements in sensor fusion technology and its application in VR systems for physical training. A systematic review of literature then follows, examining VR’s application in various facets of physical training: from exercise, skill development and technique enhancement to injury prevention, rehabilitation and psychological preparation.

Sensor fusion-based VR presents tangible advantages in the sphere of physical training, offering immersive experiences that could redefine traditional training methodologies. While the advantages are evident in domains such as exercise optimization, skill acquisition and mental preparation, challenges persist. The current research suggests there is a need for further studies to address these limitations to fully harness VR’s potential in physical training.

The integration of sensor fusion technology with VR in the domain of physical training remains a rapidly evolving field. Highlighting the advancements and challenges, this review makes a significant contribution by addressing gaps in knowledge and offering directions for future research.

The purpose of this study is to introduce new tools to develop a more precise and focused bibliometric analysis on the field of digitalization in healthcare management. Furthermore, this study aims to provide an overview of the existing resources in healthcare management and education and other developing interdisciplinary fields.

This work uses bibliometric analysis to conduct a comprehensive review to map the use of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) research models in healthcare academic studies. Bibliometric studies are considered an important tool to evaluate research studies and to gain a comprehensive view of the state of the art.

Although UTAUT dates to 2003, our bibliometric analysis reveals that only since 2016 has the model, together with UTAUT2 (2012), had relevant application in the literature. Nonetheless, studies have shown that UTAUT and UTAUT2 are particularly suitable for understanding the reasons that underlie the adoption and non-adoption choices of eHealth services. Further, this study highlights the lack of a multidisciplinary approach in the implementation of eHealth services. Equally significant is the fact that many studies have focused on the acceptance and the adoption of eHealth services by end users, whereas very few have focused on the level of acceptance of healthcare professionals.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to conduct a bibliometric analysis of technology acceptance and adoption by using advanced tools that were conceived specifically for this purpose. In addition, the examination was not limited to a certain era and aimed to give a worldwide overview of eHealth service acceptance and adoption.

This study aims to identify research trends and technological evolution in the polymer three-dimensional (3D) printing process that can effectively identify the direction of technological advancement and progress of acceptance in both society and key manufacturing industries.

The Scopus database was used to collect data on polymer 3D printing papers. This study uses bibliometric approach along with network analytic techniques to identify and discuss the most important countries and their scientific collaboration, compares income groups and analyses keyword trends.

It was found that top research production results from heavy investments in research and development. The USA has the highest number of papers among the high-income countries. However, scientific production in the other two income groups is strongly dominated by China and India. Keyword analysis shows that countries with lower incomes in certain areas, such as composite and bioprinting, have fallen behind other groups over time. International collaborations were suggested as mechanisms for those countries to catch up with the current research trends. The evolution of the research field, which started with a focus on 3D printing processes and shifted to printed part designs and their applications, was discussed. The advancement of the research topic suggests that translational research on polymer 3D printing has been led mainly by research production from higher-income countries and countries with large research and development investments.

Previous studies have conducted performance analysis, science mapping and network analysis in the field of 3D printing, but none have focused on global research trends classified by country income. This study has conducted a bibliometric analysis and compared the outputs according to various income levels according to the World Bank classification.